[Author's Note] I would really appreciate feedback on this. I've been working really hard on it, and I'm feeling pretty uneasy about it. It's not really as well-planned as most of my stories... Enjoy chapter 1! [/AN]

Chapter 1: Unconditional

Alphonse watched his older brother stare out the train window. Edward had scarcely spoken during the ride from the boys' home in Risembool to the destination in Central. His clothes were dry, but the relentless thunderstorm outside drenched Edward before the departure. His silence began to worry Alphonse. If Edward felt ill, he would refuse to alert Alphonse to his condition until he required hospital intervention.

Alphonse disliked his brother's stubbornness against doctors and needles, so he frequently felt like a babysitter. He did not mind the arrangement, however, because Alphonse knew Edward was working hard to restore their bodies. Alphonse pretended not to notice how much his brother hid from him so he could continue the role of the unshakable older brother. Nonetheless, Alphonse worried when he suspected Edward felt ill.

Edward gazed out the window as rain pattered against the glass. Alphonse did not know if his brother was observing the passing scenery, the rain, or the workings of his own thoughts. Left elbow propped on the windowsill, Edward rested his jaw pensively on his raised fist. Other than the occasional blink of an eye, Edward appeared asleep due to his lack of motion. His face betrayed no emotion, neither happiness nor depression.

A flash of lightning alerted Edward to close his eyes against the blinding light. Alphonse seized the opportunity. "Brother?"

The golden eyes turned to peer through his fallen blond bangs at the metal suit hosting his younger brother's soul, and Edward raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "Hm?" He blinked his eyes as they adjusted to the change in position, focus, and lighting. "What is it, Al?"

"Are you feeling okay?" When Edward diverted his eyes, ashamed for worrying his brother, Alphonse pressed, "It's just that... you've been really quiet since we left Granny's..."

Edward knew Alphonse would drag him to a doctor if he denied illness, so he inhaled deeply and sighed, "Sorry." Edward lowered his arm from the window reluctantly. "It's just... I visited Mom's grave before we left, and I got to thinking about some stuff," he explained.

"Like what?"

Tilting his head to the right to stretch his stiff neck muscles, Edward avoided eye contact with his brother. He rubbed his neck with his left, non-metal hand soothingly. "Just stupid stuff, I guess... Like different ways that night could've turned out, ya'know?" His head rolled back, and he stared at the ceiling while his neck muscles' tension eased. He felt Alphonse's wordless curiosity and concern begging him to continue. "I just can't stop thinking about... what I would've done if I couldn't bring you back..." He closed his eyes. "... if you had died..."

Alphonse's hands began to fidget unconsciously in his lap. "Oh," he muttered. His head tilted down to watch his restless hands, fascinated by their insubordination. When Edward straightened his head, Alphonse pulled his gaze from his lap to meet his brother's. "What... I mean... Did you come up with anything?"

Lifting his hands to scrub his tired face, Edward rasped, "Yeah..." His hands halted, and he exhaled through his nose. "I-"

"You would've been fine," Alphonse piped up at the sight of his brother's disquiet. "You would've gotten over it... Moved forward..."

Edward slowly lifted his disturbed face to meet his brother's eyes. "Al..." he breathed.

"I mean," Alphonse elaborated, "you're not the kind of person who dwells on things." Memories flashed through his mind of the countless nights Alphonse helplessly watched his older brother toss, turn, and whimper in his sleep from the nightmares caused by the terror and guilt. the disturbing memories Edward silently carried since the night the boys failed to resurrect their mother haunted the young prodigy, and Alphonse never revealed to Edward that his younger brother witness his concealed torment on an almost-nightly basis. "You're strong, Brother," Alphonse encouraged softly.

Opening his mouth as if to speak, Edward paused. He closed his mouth in the shape of a relieved smile. "Thanks, Al."

The gravitational pull of the train shifted, notifying the boys of the arrival to the capital. While the Elrics waited for the train to arrive at a complete stop, the brothers sat in comfortable silence. Other train passengers dug umbrellas from their luggage, but Edward did not follow suit. Since the boys traveled often, Edward did not buy items he deemed unnecessary. All of his possessions fit inside his solitary suitcase. He reasoned his durable red cloak served enough shelter from the rain, so owning an umbrella would add unnecessary weight for him to carry.

Nonetheless the relentless rain soon soaked through Edward's clothing upon exiting the train with his metal brother close behind. Few people filled the station to avoid the thunderstorm. the boys strode through the station undisturbed. Once in the open, Edward inhaled deeply and glanced around the empty, cloud-darkened edge of the city.

"I'm kinda hungry," announced Edward. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat before-?"

"Help!" a young boy's voice cried. Distance quieted the sound, but the Elrics heard the desperate panic in the plea. Both heads found the source of the cries upon a second shriek, "Somebody, please! Help!"

A grassy hill overlooking the incoming trains, a lonely structure among the cleared land for the city's construction, stood approximately 50 yards to the left of the station's entrance. A frightened young boy crouched near the top of the hill, a large patch of mud beneath him. Upon noticing the child's frantic mud-covered hands digging into the earth as he released another cry for help, Edward and Alphonse sprinted for the hill.

Edward dropped his luggage as he neared the scene, freeing himself from the extra weight and emptying his hands. "What happened?" he called over the loud rainfall and a crash of thunder as he approached.

The boy did not falter from his task. Estimated to be roughly 11 years old, the determined boy continued to claw at the earth. The rain dragged his hair into his eyes, darkened to black from the water, but he did not pause to clear his sight. "It's my little sister," he sobbed. "We were making a fort in the ground, and the mud-"

"Get back!" Edward barked. "What's her name?"

Hesitant to cease digging, Alphonse gently gripped the distress child's bicep to pull him away. The horrified boy replied, "Anna."

Edward pressed his hands to the earth and leaned close to yell, "Anna? Anna, get back, and then don't move!" He pulled his hands from the mud and clapped his palms together sharply. Closing his eyes to focus the magic-like science at his disposal, he carefully pressed his hands to the ground.

Celestial blue light crackled and popped like tiny bolts of lightning beneath Edward's fingers. The mud hardened and shifted to either side of the shallow claw marks left by Anna's brother's efforts to save her, the solidified mud parting like a set of crude sliding doors. The moment the alchemic reaction died away, Edward crawled into the unlit space.

A small girl, Edward assumed perhaps four or five years old, lied in the back of the dark burrow. Her arms covered her head and face protectively, only glimpses of her dark hair visible. She kept her body and legs curled in on herself in the fetal position like an armadillo. She did not move.

"Anna?" Edward called as he crouched over her. "Anna, can you hear me? Anna!"

Worried her position-combined with the lack of oxygen flow during the cave-in-had suffocated her before his arrival, Edward pried her arms from her head to straighten her torso to allow her lungs to expand more freely. Her face revealed, he saw wide eyes staring at him, tears glistening in the darkness. When the eyes did not blink or move, Edward feared the worst.

"Are you o-?"

She drew a quivering inhale and released a shrieking cry. In spite of himself and his general dislike of the harsh sound, Edward smiled in relief: crying meant life. Although too petrified to move, Anna was alive. Edward chose ear-splitting cries of children over dead children any day.

"You're safe now," Edward assured softly. He scooped his arms under her small frame. "Let's get out of here, huh?"

She wrapped her arms painfully tight around his neck and clung her legs around his torso. Anna buried her face into Edward's shoulder, deafening him with her high-pitched sobs. He secured her in place by wrapping his human arm around her torso, and he crawled out the hole with his automail arm to guide him.

Reaching the upward incline to the exit, Edward began to experience balance difficulty from carrying the girl in the limited, slippery space. Once he gained a solid grip at the opening, Edward propelled himself and the girl out the hole. She did not release him, and she continued to sob hysterically into his rain-soaked red coat.

"Anna!" her brother cried as he rushed to her side. "Are you hurt?" His eyes darted between Edward's calm expression and his wailing sister.

"I think she's fine; she's just scared," Edward assured. "Get her home and out of the rain. Get her cleaned off, and you should probably get her to a doctor to be sure."

When Edward noticed the girl had yet to respond to her brother's presence, Edward hushed the child softly, "You're all right now, Anna. Go to your big brother." He gently peeled her from his torso and guided her toward her anxiously-waiting brother.

Anna quieted to frightened whimpers once she reached the safety of her brother's grasp. Edward smiled, stood, and advised, "Don't be digging any more holes, got it?"

The boy nodded rigorously in reply, and he watched intensely as the mysterious stranger's armor-suited companion retrieved the abandoned suitcase. Hypnotized by the strange pair, the boy could not pull away his gaze. He hauled himself-and the burden in his arms-to his feet and asked, "Wh-Who are you guys?"

Alphonse swooped down and swept up his brother's luggage. "I'm Alphonse Elric," he chirped.

After alchemically sealing the hole, Edward climbed to his feet and finished, "And I'm his older brother Edward Elric: the FullMetal Alchemist."

Gaping in awe at the discovery of receiving aid from the famous alchemy prodigy of the State, the boy froze until his sister's cries reminded him of her distress. "Cade," he replied respectfully. "Thank you," Cade added as he slowly turned to spring awkwardly down the grassy slope.

As Edward watched the two, he marveled at the unconditional trust and forgiveness children possess. Anna trusted that her brother would not lead her into danger. Nonetheless, even wrapped in her fear, she readily forgave Cade after escaping the hole by reaching for him for protection. By her reaction to his presence, Edward knew Anna would continue to follow her brother without question because she trusted him and his judgment. As her older brother, Cade had no choice but to except the responsibility to assure his sibling's safety.

With the children's relationship on his mind, Edward inevitably arrived at the memory stuck on his mind the entire trip to Central. He recalled the shadows dancing on Alphonse's cherub face from the candles lighting the makeshift laboratory while he voiced his concerns about the dangers of committing the age-old taboo. Once Edward assured Alphonse the transmutation circle the two designed and created was flawless, Alphonse settled and proceeded alongside him without further protest. Flashes of the catastrophe that followed filled Edward's thoughts and tortured him.

Edward failed to protect his little brother, and he nearly lost Alphonse forever. Blinded by grief over their mother's death, Edward refused to listen to reason. His mistake should have cost both brothers their lives. Although Edward did not believe in the existence of God or miracles, he could not deny the incredible luck of the boys' survival. blood loss should have robbed Edward of his ability to form a successful transmutation before he bound Alphonse's soul to the old suit of armor. Without Alphonse's assistance, Edward would have lost consciousness and bled to death before his kind self-appointed guardian Pinako checked on the boys the following morning.

Emotions filled his eyes and threatened to spill over, and he thanked the sky for creating the rain. If he could not contain the tears, Alphonse would not know the difference between the rain and the salty liquid cascading down his cheeks.

"Brother?" Alphonse called uneasily. "You're doing it again..."

Edward broke from his reverie and turned to his brother. Despite the present impossibility of seeing Alphonse's human face outside his memory, Edward could feel the concerned scrunching of Alphonse's facial features. His unseen expression pleaded for Edward to confide in him.

He forced a comforting smile. "Sorry, Al," Edward muttered.

"Are you all right?"

Edward closed his eyes, drew a deep inhale, and reveled in the sensation of the rain beating against his skin. He needed to forgive himself like Alphonse did years ago, but he found the task more difficult than his brother. Edward concluded to pretend to forgive himself-for his brother's sake-until he truly could. After all, the transmutation used to bind Alphonse's soul in the armor was a success: Alphonse was alive. Edward did not fail, and he vowed to prevent any such harm to befall Alphonse again.

"I'm fine." Opening his eyes to grin wholeheartedly at his brother, Edward reached his automail arm out to receive his suitcase.

He felt Alphonse's expression lighten to a smile, and Edward intercepted his luggage. As his arm lowered to his side, a flash of blinding white light flooded his world. The light stole Alphonse from his vision. Edward felt his body lift into the air.

He did not feel his feet return to the ground, but Edward suddenly felt a solid surface beneath him. His surroundings remained white and barren. Turning in place in an attempt to determine his location, Edward saw a massive structure and froze.

The Gate towered before him, intricately-detailed doors closed. The Gate stood alone with no structure in sight for support, mystifying further any who dare to enter. Without a specified light source in the white, endless space, no shadows formed from neither The Gate nor Edward. No human could decipher the ground from the hypothetical walls and ceiling, if such structures existed at all in The Gate's presence.

He stared in horror at The Gate for several moments, all too familiar with the tragedies foolish alchemists experience upon viewing The Gate's taboo contents. A still figure at the foot of the doors caught his eye, and his stomach jumped into his throat.

"A-Alphonse?" Edward croaked. His foot slid forward unconsciously. "Al?"

The lying boy did not budge. He wore no clothing, and his body was in pristine condition. He appeared the proper age. Alphonse's sandy brown hair was trimmed short to approximately the same proportions as his childhood hairstyle. His body's condition portrayed a well-fed, healthy, muscular teenage boy.

He quickly realized the logic did not add up. If Alphonse's body grew, his hair should have grown, as well. He should be underweight from lack of nutrition with severe muscle deterioration. The inconsistencies caused Edward immense disquiet, and he found himself sprinting to his brother's side.

Alphonse's chest, like the rest of his body, was motionless. However, he showed no signs of death. Colors of life kissed his childish cheeks. Edward knelt over him and cupped Alphonse's face in both hands, and he discovered the skin to be warm to the touch.

Edward examined Alphonse's motionless face, and he moved his left hand-the closer of the two-to Alphonse's shoulder. His automail right hand slid underneath the boy's head and neck, and Edward's flesh left arm curved around his brother's torso to lift Alphonse into his lap. Edward shook him gently.

"Alphonse," he whispered worriedly, marveling at the sight of his little brother's face.

"Hello again, young alchemist," a familiar voice jeered.

Edward's head snapped at attention, and he instinctively lowered his body over his brother's protectively. the white, faceless figure of a child sat bow-legged several feet to his left, distinct out-of-place shadows defining the figure from the surrounding landscape. An impossibly-white smile acted as the only facial feature. The smile mocked Edward mercilessly. That smile always mocked him.

"Truth," Edward addressed. "What is this? What do you want? We didn't transmute anything!"

"You forget, young alchemist," Truth explained while rising to stand. "I am many things, and alchemy is not the only way to reach this place."

He remembered Truth was also considered to be God. Edward scowled and asked venomously, "Am I dead, then?"

"Not quite. Almost," Truth gibed. "But not today."

As the mysterious being stepped closer, Edward demanded, "Then why are we here, and what did you do to Alphonse?"

"That is his soul that you hold," Truth declared matter-of-factly. "It is unconscious, so it is here."

Edward pulled Alphonse's soul to his chest, guarding him from Truth's wrath. He knew running would prove useless, because the mighty being could manipulate the space with no effort and catch him easily. He prepared for the worst and growled viciously, "I paid the price for his soul; you can't have him back. I won't let you!"

He clutched his only remaining family tighter, so Edward felt Alphonse's hair and forehead brush against the sensitive skin of his throat. Edward did not flinch as Truth's small hand reached out for his forehead.

"I have no business with your brother," Truth sneered, icy cold fingers pressing against Edward's forehead between his eyes. "It is you."